Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Facts as of 1 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Exam focus. Expect questions on seasons and rainfall, soil classification, leading crops and the Green Revolution. Statistics change from year to year, so this note stresses patterns and well-known facts rather than the latest numbers.
1. Climate
Punjab has a sub-tropical, continental monsoon climate, with extremes of temperature.
| Season | Months | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Summer (hot) | mid-April to June | Very hot; temperatures can exceed 45 °C in the southwest; dust storms and loo (hot wind) |
| Monsoon | July to mid-September | Southwest monsoon brings most rain; humid |
| Post-monsoon / Autumn | Oct–Nov | Dry and pleasant; paddy harvest, stubble burning season |
| Winter (cold) | Dec to Feb | Cold, often foggy; frost; western disturbances bring winter rain, good for wheat |
- Rainfall is highest in the northeast (Shiwalik foothills) — about 900–1,000 mm — and decreases toward the southwest (about 300–400 mm). Average state rainfall is around 500–600 mm, around 75–80 % of it in the monsoon.
- Western disturbances produce winter rain (important for the rabi crop).
- Agro-climatic zones (broadly): sub-mountain zone, undulating plain, central plain, western plain, and western zone (semi-arid).
2. Soils
| Soil | Where found | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial (older and newer) | Central plain, Doabs | Very fertile; loam to sandy loam; the main basis for wheat–rice agriculture |
| Kandi soils (sub-mountain) | Shiwalik foothills of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Ropar | Gravelly, coarse, erosion-prone; low water retention |
| Sierozem (grey desert soils) | Southwest — Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, Faridkot | Calcareous, low organic matter; need irrigation |
| Arid / sandy dune soils | Parts of Malwa near Rajasthan | Windblown sand |
| Saline-sodic (kallar / reh) soils | Pockets in Sangrur, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Bathinda | Salt-affected; reclaimed with gypsum and drainage |
| Bet (khadar) soils | River floodplains (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) | Newer alluvium; floods and fertility |
3. Cropping seasons and crops
| Season | Sowing / harvest | Main crops |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | Sown June–July, harvested Oct–Nov | Paddy (rice), cotton, maize, sugarcane, groundnut |
| Rabi | Sown Oct–Nov, harvested April–May | Wheat, barley, gram, mustard, potato |
| Zaid | March–June | Vegetables, fodder, melons |
- Wheat and rice dominate the cropping pattern, covering the large majority of the gross cropped area.
- Cotton belt: Bathinda, Mansa, Fazilka, Muktsar (Malwa); Bt cotton now common; cotton production has faced pest attacks (e.g., the whitefly outbreak, 2015).
- Maize is grown in the Shiwalik foothills and parts of Doaba.
- Sugarcane is grown in Doaba and Majha (Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur).
- Basmati rice is grown in Majha (Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran).
- Potato (Jalandhar belt) and vegetables; kinnow (a citrus fruit) is a leading horticultural crop (Fazilka, Hoshiarpur, Abohar); guava (Sangrur) and litchi (Gurdaspur) are also grown.
- Punjab is among the top contributors to the central pool of wheat and paddy procurement.